My Professions Have Too Much Personality

Outside his door, Su Chen told the guard on duty not to disturb him unless it was an emergency.

With that said, he walked into the room.

After closing the door, his Spiritual Power seeped out like a current of water, covering every inch of the room. He first checked for any surveillance or detection devices, as well as any strange symbols.

The guards accompanying them had already performed a detailed inspection of the room beforehand. Su Chen’s double-check was merely a matter of habit.

The Si Xing Group was wise enough not to try any underhanded tricks. The room’s soundproofing was also excellent, utilizing a kind of Top Level sound-absorbing material that completely blocked out any external noise.

’Wherever there are people, there are conflicts…’

Su Chen sighed, his mind still on what Qing Cang had said earlier. ’Human nature is so complex and unpredictable.’

Take Ying Feng, for instance. They were riddled with internal friction, but when faced with a true life-or-death crisis like the Holy Banquet or an attack by the Faceless Ghost Followers, they could band together as one.

Then there was Zhou Yanwu. He’d always viewed the Judicial Court with disdain, making countless moves against them, both openly and covertly. Yet, when the time came for him to be the key to survival, even if it meant making an enemy of the Yuan Capital, he didn’t hesitate.

’But once he found out Qing Cang had brought a second option, he stopped paying attention to me. Calling him fickle wouldn’t be quite right; he was simply always choosing the path he believed was correct.’

’The Bronze Sect is infinitely larger than Ying Feng, so these kinds of situations will only be more extreme.’

’I’ve never even met most of the Sect’s members, so there’s no life-or-death feud between us. It’s just that my status as the “chosen one” is an eyesore.’

Finding a clear space in the spacious room, Su Chen suppressed his thoughts and summoned his panel. The requirements for the Nourisher class were all complete.

’According to Lan Hao, everyone in his family who has ever assimilated the Phoenix Holy Profession has always followed this specific, progressive order. I thought there was a required sequence for assimilating a Holy Profession…’ he mused.

’But the Life Burner’s metamorphosis only has a quantity requirement. If we say the Life Burner has no sequence requirement because it’s the first assimilation, then what about the Purifier… which also has no sequence requirement.’

He speculated, ’This sequence requirement is probably based on difficulty. The Nourisher is clearly harder to obtain than the Sturdy Traveler, so naturally, you would acquire them in order from easiest to hardest.’

’Could I really be unable to assimilate the Holy Profession later just because I reversed the acquisition order?’

Su Chen didn’t dwell on it for long. He shook his head. ’Forget it. I’ll just acquire the class. If it really doesn’t work out, I can use it as fodder for the Gourmet’s metamorphosis. It won’t go to waste.’

His mind made up, the two large words “Acquire Class” displayed after “Nourisher” suddenly disintegrated.

In that instant, Su Chen’s pupils constricted. He suddenly clutched his chest as a searing pain assaulted him, feeling as if a red-hot branding iron had been stabbed straight through him.

The pain didn’t explode outwards; it drilled out in wispy threads. With a faint SIZZLE from beneath the skin on the left side of his chest, a series of dark red runes burst through his skin, swimming through his flesh like molten copper.

The edges of the runes glowed with an unnatural light. Each one writhed like a living snake, linking together to form a spiderweb of bloody tracings.

Su Chen staggered, nearly collapsing. Gritting his teeth, he steadied himself against the wall, his fingernails digging into its seams.

More blood-red symbols erupted from his chest, their translucent patterns burrowing along his blood vessels and into the very seams of his bones.

He looked down to see the veins on his chest bulging. The runes beneath his skin flickered, gradually spreading throughout his body as if performing some kind of modification.

After a long while, Su Chen finally let out a long breath. The metallic taste of blood welled up in his throat, and his entire body was drenched in sweat.

’Another enhancement targeting the heart…’ A current of air swirled around him, quickly drying his sweat. He couldn’t help but rub his chest over his heart, which still throbbed with a dull ache.

[Nourisher class acquisition complete. Gained Professional Ability—Absorption: You can absorb a target’s Life Force to repair your own injuries.]

[Bonus Reward: Absorption rate doubled.]

Su Chen glanced at the ability’s description. It was about what Lan Hao had described, though it didn’t have the restriction of only being usable during combat.

It was just that during combat, with both sides constantly mobilizing their abilities and their vital energies surging, the Absorption of Life Force was simply easier.

The reward was great, too—the Absorption rate was doubled. Su Chen was very satisfied.

’This Phoenix Holy Profession must be a stack of classes focused on healing injuries in various ways. Eventually, you become a super regeneration tank—recovering health with every breath, maybe even resurrecting.’

That wasn’t hard to deduce. Su Chen extended a finger, and a blood-red symbol flashed for a moment on its tip. ’It’s most effective in close-quarters combat.’

With no suitable target to experiment on, Su Chen couldn’t determine the ability’s specific effects for the time being.

After acclimating for a moment, he once again entered a state of cultivation.

「Several hours later.」

A knock sounded at the door.

It was Lan Hao. The guard behind him was carrying a square metal case.

“This is the sap of the Immortal Ancient Tree.” Lan Hao gestured for the guard to place the item in the room, then added, “I already had them check it. There’s nothing else inside.”

A sincere smile spread across Su Chen’s face. “Thank you for your trouble, Brother Lan.”

“Is there any need for such words between us?” Lan Hao, who seemed to have composed himself, waved his hands dismissively with a show of hearty generosity. He then explained:

“I told them to buy a full liter, but my guards had to visit several shops and only managed to acquire 900 milliliters. The Balance Dao Central Hub is a bit on the small side, after all.”

“It should be enough if I dilute it with water,” Su Chen said, feigning a thoughtful expression.

“That’s good.” Lan Hao nodded. He watched the guard set down the case, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and was then shown out of the room by a warmly smiling Su Chen.